The Separation Wall in the Occupied Palestine as a Canvas of Resistance: A controversial Issue

• Main Authors: Heneini, Faraj R.A., Basaree, Ruzaika Omar
• Format: Article
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia 2018
• Subjects: N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/21905/; http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2026%20(3)%20Sep.%202018/09%20JSSH-1858-2016.pdf

The separation wall in occupied Palestine built by the Israeli occupation to isolate the West Bank from other parts of the Palestinian territories has turned into a huge screen for Palestinian and foreign artists to display various kinds of art works, including paintings, pictures, drawings, videos as a means of resistance against the occupation. These visual arts have become a controversial issue among the Palestinians. Some still consider these arts as a form of resistance against the wall and the occupation as well; while others consider them as a means of ‘beautifying’ the wall as perceived by the Palestinians and the people in the rest of the world. Therefore, this paper explores and illustrates selected visual works associated with the ‘separation’ wall in the occupied Palestine to identify the underlying meanings and implications of such works. The descriptive and observation approach was utilized to analyze the selected visual arts. The illustration in this study showed that the visual arts depicted on the separation wall in occupied Palestine have gained ample attention from Palestinians and foreigners. It also showed that the majority of the visual arts associated with the separation wall reflect the ugly face of this wall by presenting its negative consequences on the Palestinians’ life in all aspects. However, other visual arts try to indirectly beautify the wall at the local and international levels by justifying building this wall and presenting its benefits for both the Palestinians and the Israelis. To conclude, the visual arts dealing with the separation wall have multiple references, objectives and effects on the Palestinian resistance against the occupation and the wall, and also on the people outside Palestine. Such arts should be monitored and examined to serve the Palestinian issue in the desired way.